


Different

by systems



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Everybody Lives, Fluff, Home for Christmas, M/M, Misunderstandings, coming home, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-18
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:52:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21823594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/systems/pseuds/systems
Summary: Derek is looking forward to Christmas this year, until he finds out that Stiles is bringing someone home.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 10
Kudos: 109
Collections: The Sterek Secret Santa - Edition 2019





	Different

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Darvyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darvyn/gifts).

It would be fair to say Derek has been looking forward to the holidays this year. Usually, the thought of Christmas crowds, overplayed jingles, and endless hints about presents has him in a mood that is not so much “merry and bright” as it is “grin and bear it.” 

This year is different. 

This year, Stiles is coming home. He’s submitting all of his finals online, so he’s coming back after the last day of classes, December 12th. And he’s staying into the New Year, a whole three weeks to spend with his dad, with his pack, and hopefully, with Derek. 

His hopes for the holidays get turned sideways when he overhears a conversation between Stiles and Scott. 

Scott is cradling the phone against his ear so he can make a sandwich in Derek’s kitchen, and he’s “mm-hm”-ing and “I know”-ing along in time to what sounds like a rant. Derek doesn’t intend to eavesdrop, and it’s really not his fault his hearing is so good, and his brain so attuned to Stiles’s voice. He starts to get phrases, and is just about to dismiss the conversation as yet another complaint about Stiles’s criminal justice professor when his tone changes, and Stiles says, very clearly: 

“Max, the love of my life.”

Derek leaves the kitchen in a hurry. 

After that, it’s like Derek never hears Stiles talk about anything other than his new boyfriend, to anyone and everyone, including Derek. 

He texts, _can’t wait for you to meet max btw!!_

Derek sighs. He wants to be happy for Stiles, he does._ Is max staying for the whole trip? _

__

__

_Lol obviously dude_

“Not a chance,” Stiles is sighing over Skype with Isaac and Allison. “Besides, I’m not looking for a date. I have Max. And I haven’t even introduced him to the pack yet!” 

Derek hates himself for it, but he’s shattered to hear Stiles has someone he wants to introduce to the pack. None of his other significant others have been significant enough to bring home. 

Max even manages to ruin a pack meeting phone call with Stiles. They’re not even talking about it, how instead of coming home for three weeks, he’s coming home with Max for three weeks. They’re talking about other things, like Christmas plans, how the solstice ritual will go, whether the Nemeton might appreciate decorations. Derek thinks not, Stiles declares that shiny garland will make even the grumpiest tree happy, and this ritual is all about making the Nemeton happy for the upcoming year, and there’s nothing wrong with celebrating the solstice with a bit of good cheer, and his dad already put up their tree without him, please let him decorate this one…

And suddenly it’s Max again. 

Stiles yawns and says he has to get going. “I’ll be up at 5:30 with Max.”

“Why so early?” Kira asks, leaning in toward the laptop they’ve got set up for Skype. 

“We’ve been walking with Mrs. Bailey next door. She’s taking care of her son’s lab while he’s overseas, and he can be too strong for her. We try to run off some of his energy in the mornings before classes. I take an extra lap around the park with Dodger and Max chills with Mrs. Bailey and they watch the ducks.”

“That’s so sweet,” Kira says. “Do they get along?” 

“Yeah!” Stiles nods excitedly. “I didn’t know how Max would do, but he’s been great with Dodger.”

“Enough about Max,” Derek snaps. 

Everyone stares at him. 

Derek walks out, even though they were Skyping Stiles from his house. He runs the perimeter twice, making sure the conversation will be long over before he returns. 

Stiles returns as planned, but since he’s working on final essays he holes up at his dad’s for a few days. Scott goes over several times, until he’s kicked out for being distracting. Derek doesn’t stop by, and Stiles doesn’t text after the first day. 

The first time Derek actually sees Stiles, he’s sitting at Beacon Beans with Scott and Kira. He’s lounging back in his chair, one hand wrapped around a mug. He looks relaxed, so finals must be over. 

There’s no sign of Max, thankfully, so Derek decides to get his coffee and go over and say hi. He knows Stiles is taken, but he wants to be near him after so much time apart. Seeing him on the screen is nothing to seeing him up close and real. 

While he’s staring, Stiles glances over. His eyes light up and he smiles. 

“Stiles, are you bringing Max to Derek’s?”

“I don’t know,” Stiles says, glancing Derek’s way with a sad tilt to his lips. “I don’t want to cause trouble. Max is kind of stupid around strangers.”

“Didn’t he do okay when he met your dad?”

“Yeah, when it was just us,” Stiles says. “but when we went to Jack and Eric’s for Thanksgiving, Max couldn’t handle himself and snuck into the kitchen and ate a whole pie before we even sat down to turkey.” 

“Oh no,” Kira giggles. 

Stiles nods. “He spent most of the day sleeping it off on the couch. Like I said, stupid around strangers.” 

Derek turns away to collect his coffee and misses the next thing said. He hovers by the counter for a moment, considering going over to say hi or just head out. 

“Eric was ready to throw me out because of Max, dude. That’s serious! I think Jack put in a good word, plus I’m pretty sure some of their old teammates put away a pie each.”

Scott and Kira laugh, but Derek rolls his eyes. The guy sounds like he has no self control. Derek’s trying not to judge, really, but the more he hears about Max, the less he thinks of him. He’d at least be civilized enough to stay and socialize, especially with Stiles’s dad. 

He leaves without acknowledging them. He has shopping to do, anyway. 

He gets a text from Stiles as he gets into the car. _Just saw you at bb. You didn’t come over?_

He doesn’t reply, but by the time he’s heading home he feels guilty, so he stops by the Stilinski house on the off chance Stiles will be there. He stands on the porch, reluctant to knock, but Stiles is pack, and Derek needs him to know he can tell him anything, and he can bring his boyfriend to Christmas if he wants to. 

He knocks. 

Stiles opens the door. “Hey, I was just going to go for a walk with Max. Wanna come?”

Absolutely not. “No,” he starts, “I just wanted to talk to you.” 

He hears nails scrabbling against the kitchen floor and pauses. 

A brown and white, floppy-eared dog pokes its head between Stiles’s legs to stare at Derek. Stiles stumbles and laughs, pushing at its snout. “Max, did you hear the word? Go find your leash.” He grins at Derek when Max - _Max!_ \- scrambles backward and bounces off, presumably to retrieve his leash. “Come on, we haven’t had a chance to talk yet, and I’ve been back almost three days already. Walk with us.”

Derek smiles. “Okay.” 

He waits by the door while Stiles crosses to get his keys, then hurries back to the kitchen for plastic bags, then stops in the living room to slip into a jacket, sidestepping Max all the while, who follows dutifully with his leash in his mouth and trailing between his feet, tripping him. The two look ridiculously well-suited, long-legged but not graceful, a chaotic but not uncoordinated dance. 

Finally, Stiles shuts and locks the door. Max leads them eagerly off the porch and down to the sidewalk, tail wagging and nose twitching. 

“When were you going to tell me you had a dog?”

“I talk about Max all the time. In fact, I’ve been reliably informed I talk about him too much,” Stiles says with a wry grin. 

Derek shrugs. “I was out of line.”

“I never figured you’d be so against dogs, dude. More of a cat person, sure. But I would’ve assumed you’d have sort of an in-built affinity for the lonely, lost pups of the world.”

“I like dogs,” Derek says defensively.

“Then why were you so mad I’d gotten one?”

“I didn’t know Max was a dog!” Derek says without thinking. 

“So what, you thought he was a person? Oh, shit, you thought he was a person,” Stiles says softly. 

Derek can see his clever mind putting the pieces together all too fast. 

“You thought he was my boyfriend.”

“The love of your life, you called him,” Derek says. He might as well throw that out there, let Stiles know exactly how much to mock him. Except no, Stiles wouldn’t do that. He’s a better friend than that. 

“Wait,” Stiles says, reaching out to stop Derek walking on. “You thought I’d met the love of my life? And that upset you?”

Derek can’t look. He knows it’s going to be disastrous, but he just can’t watch it dawn on Stiles’s face. 

Stiles is quiet for a long moment, and then with just a gentle pressure against Derek’s shoulder, he asks him to turn. Stiles searches his face for something, and starts nodding before he even says anything. 

“I think I have, actually,” Stiles says. “Met the love of my life, I mean. I didn’t think I had a chance, but…”

Derek can’t stamp down the hope rising in him. An ugly voice whispers that this isn’t real, but Stiles’s earnest face tells a different story. 

“You have a chance,” Derek says. Please take it. 

“Me and Max, we’re a package deal,” Stiles warns with a smile. 

“I think I can handle it,” Derek chuckles. 

Max trots back to them, pushing at Stiles’s legs like he needs a reminder that they’re supposed to be on a walk. They both smile at him, and Derek takes a moment when Stiles is looking at Max to dart in and kiss his cheek. He starts walking again, making encouraging noises at Max until he’s pulling Stiles along. 

“Hey, wait,” Stiles protests. “I didn’t get to kiss you back! That’s not how this works, Derek!” 

Derek laughs. “Max needs to walk, Stiles, keep up!” 

Stiles curses and jogs to catch up, which just encourages Max to pick up his pace. 

Derek smiles. Yeah, this Christmas is definitely going to be different. He’s looking forward to it.

**Author's Note:**

> Edited for a couple formatting mistakes that I missed. 
> 
> Come visit on tumblr!


End file.
